Rent

Rating = B

With the exception of a couple of songs, the music
is pretty boring and tends toward bombast rather than beauty. There is not
much story, but the concern with love, family in the face of diversity,
and AIDS are clear. It is theatrical rather than realistic, and that was perhaps
not the best choice in moving from stage to screen. But, I found it to be
beautiful to look at and often moving, and the actors sing their hearts out.
The actors uniformly have good voices, and the musical arrangements often
use a choral approach that makes the music beautiful despite the fact
it is fundamentally repetitive and boring.
I haven't seen the stage version; thus, I have nothing to compare the movie
with and am very happy to have seen it. I'd love to see most of these
actors again in some other musical presentation.